Device for regulating the winding tension of web material



H. KABELITZ ET AL Oct. 18, 1966 DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE WINDINGTENSION OF WEB MATERIAL Filed June 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG] Oct.18, 1966 KABELITZ ETAL 3,279,?19

DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE WINDING TENSION OF WEB MATERIAL Filed June 29,1964 2 Sheets$heet 2 United States Patent Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No.378,620 Claims priority, application Germany, June 28, 1963, S 85,890 7Claims. (Cl; 242-7553) Our invention relates to devices for regulatingthe winding tension in tape, sheet or other web material as it travelsonto a core or beam onto which it is being wound.

Our invention more particularly relates to a device for regulating thewinding tension of web material, for example sheets of paper, arrays oftextile threads such as warp threads and the like, which passes in frontof the Winding beam through a pull-ofi? or pinch roller device having apinch roller that is pivotally mounted and serves for controlling thewinding speed in dependence upon its pivotal displacements. Suchregulation has been .performed heretofore with the aid of a roller thatengages the travelling web material ahead of the winding beam and variesits position in dependence upon the winding tension, the resultingdisplacement of the roller being used for controlling the winding speedas needed to maintain the tension within desired limits. A sensingroller of this kind is generally known as a dancer roll. Itstension-responsive displacement may be predominantly in the vertical orhorizontal direction. It has also been known to pivotally mount one ofthe pull-off or pinch rollers ahead of the winding beam and to utilizethe tension-responsive pivot al displacements of this roller forcontrolling the winding speed. In this known device, the pivotallydisplaceable roller has its pivot axis coincident with the rotationalaxis of the adjacent pull-off roller so that the displacing motion is ona path concentric to the other pull-off roller and the displaceableroller is capable of performing a rolling movement on the cylindricalsurface of the other pull-off roller. This device, however, has adisadvantage in that the angle with which the material runs onto thewinding beam is varied not only by the increasing diameter of thewinding being produced but also by the additional pivoting motion of thetension-responsive roller.

It is therefore an object of our invention to achieve a performance inwhich the material being wound will always run onto the winding beam atalmost the same angle for a given diameter of the winding, regardless ofthe position which the pivotally mounted roller of the pulloff devicemay occupy at the time.

Another object of our invention is to provide a tensionregulating devicefor web winding operations which is capable of maintaining anapproximately constant tension in the web material in the entirediametrical range of the winding operation.

Still another object of our invention is the provision of a device forregulating the wind-ing tension in web material which simultaneouslyacts as a clamping device to prevent the material from being pulled outof its position when the material is being cut off at the winding beam,for example upon completion of a wind-ing.

To achieve these and such further objects as will appear from thefollowing, and in accordance with a feature of our invention, we mountthe pivotally displaceable roller of a pull-off device in a beaming orwinding machine for material of the above-mentioned general kind so asto have its pivot axis located in spaced relation to the rotational axisof the adjacent pull-off roller.

3,279,719 Patented Oct. 18 1966 The foregoing and other objects,advantages and features of our invention, said features being set forthwith particularity in the claims annexed hereto, will be apparent from,and will be mentioned in, the following with reference to an embodimentof a tension regulating device on winding equipment as used for examplein a sizing machine, illustrated by way of example on the accompanydrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view partly in section through the essentialcomponents of the machinery; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line IIII in FIG. 1 in thedirection of the arrows.

Shown at F in FIG. 1 is an array of warp threads coming from supplyspools usually mounted on a creel and which are to be wound upon a warpbeam 1. Mounted ahead of the beam 1 relative to the travelling directionof the material is a pull-off roller device which comprises three pinchrollers 2, 3 and 4. The roller 3 rotates about a fixed axis 3a. Therotational axes 2a and 4a of the respective rollers 2 and 4 are notfixed but can perform pivotal movements in the illustration plane of-FIG. 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft of roller 4' has itsbearings mounted in an arm 40 pivotally fastened to a disc 5 which isrotationally jour-nalled about an axis 5a in eccentric relation to therotational axis 3a of the roller 3. The eccentric disc 5 is connected bya chain 6 with a sprocket wheel 8 fixed to a torsionally rigid shaft 7.Also'mounted on shaft 7 in fixed relation thereto is a spur gear 9 whichmeshes with a rack 10 linked to a piston 11. The piston 11 isdisplaceable in a hydraulic cylinder 12 whoses internal pressure isindicated by a measuring instrument 13 and adjustable with the aid of apressure-limit valve 14. The stiff shaft 7 is connected through a chaintransmission 15 with a control valve 16 which serves for changing theangular speed of the winding beam 1 by conventional means showndiagrammatically in FIG. I. Since hydrauically controlled drives forbeaming machines are well known and their particular design is notessential the invention, these drive means are not further illustratedor described in this specification.

During the winding operation, the length of the warp F between thepull-off device and the wind-ing beam 1 becomes gradually shorter onaccount of the increasing diameter of the material wound upon the beamif the angular speed of beam rotation is kept constant. This shorteningforces the axis of the roller 4 to pivot clockwise (FIG. 1) about thepivot axis 5a. The eccentric disc 5 turns together with the pivotaldisplacement of the roller 4 and hence also in the clockwise sense. Therotation of the eccentric disc 5 is transmitted by the chain 6 to theshaft 7. The revolving motion of shaft 7 is further transmitted throughthe chain transmission 1-5 to the valve 16 and thus causes the windingspeed of the beam 1 to change toward a lower value. This has the resultthat the warp material resumes its original length and the roller 4returns to its original position. In this manner the illustrated deviceregulates the tension in the warp material during the winding operationto a substantially constant value.

When the material being wound upon the beam, in the present example thearray of wrap threads 5, is intentionally loosened excessively from thewinding beam 1 or is severed for example at the locality T (FIG. 1) thenthe tension in the upper portion of the warp material breaks down or thematerial becomes greatly lengthened between the pull-off device and thebeam. The pressure in cylinder 12 causes the piston 11 to be displacedtoward the left into the position 11 shown in FIG. 1 by dot-and-dashlines. This moves the rack 10 into the dot-and-dash position 10.Simultaneously the spur gear 9 is rotated and turns the shaft 7 with thesprocket 8, thus placing the chain 6 to the dot-and-dash position 6. Theeccentric disc 5 therefore is turned counterclockwise and thereby alsopivots the roller 4 to the dot-and-dash position 4 in which the spacinga between the rollers 3 and 4 is varied down to zero. In this position,the roller 4 is firmly pressed against the adjacent roller 3 and thusclamps the warp material so that it cannot'become pulled out between theroller pair 2, 3.

It will be understood that in FIG. 2 the roller 4 and the shaft 7 areshown partly broken away in order to prevent obscuring each other. Thechain 6 may be provided on only one side or on both sides of the roller3. The parts 9, 10 and 12 are located laterally of the travel path ofthe material being wound so as not to interfere with the travel.

As is apparent from FIG. 1, the roller 4 is braced against the eccentricdisc 5 through a force storing member which permits adjusting thepressure exerted against the adjacent roller 3 in the dot-and-dashposition 4. For this purpose, the roller, being mounted by means of arm4c for pivoting motion about the axis 4b on eccentric disc 5, carries apin 18 loaded by a spring 17, the pin resting against the eccentric disc5. A set screw 19 permits varying the spring pressure. When the warpmaterial is loosened or is cut oif at the locality T so that the roller4 reaches the dot-and-dash position 4 and is placed against the roller3, the force of spring 17 controls the pressure then existing betweenthe roller in the dot-and-dash position 4 and the roller 3. The angle 00defined by the pivot radius of the rotational axis for roller 4 in thedot-and-dash position 4, on the one hand, and by the connecting linefrom the rotational center 5a of the eccentric 5 and the pivot axis ofthe roller is smaller than the corresponding angle 0: existing when theroller 4 is in normal operating position.

To avoid the necessity of accounting for the masses of the roller 4 andits journ'alling means when adjusting the pressure control valve 14, theroller 4 is given a balanced mounting. To this end, the torsionallystitt shaft 7 carries an arm 20 in form of a cam disc. At point 21 ofthe cam a chain 22 is fastened, and a compensating weight 23 issuspended from the chain to act as a counterpoise, thus providing for amass-free journalling of the pivotally mounted roller 4.

To those skilled in the art it will be obvious upon a study of thisdisclosure that with respect to structural and other details as well asregards the particular winding material, the invention permits ofvarious modifications and hence can be given embodiments other thanillustrated and described herein, without departing from the essentialfeatures of our invention and within the scope of the claims annexedhereto.

We claim:

1. With a beaming machine having a winder beam and at least two coactivepinch rollers mounted ahead of said beam for engaging the beamingmaterial between each other to pull it toward said beam, the combinationof a device for regulating the winding tension of the materialcomprising means for controlling the winding speed of said beam, andcomprising said two pinch rollers, one of said rollers having a fixedaxis of rotation, mounting structure on which said other roller isjournalled, said mounting structure being pivotally rotatable and havinga pivot axis spaced from said fixed axis in parallel relation thereto,and transmission means connecting said structure with said winding-speedcontrol device for actuating the latter in accordance with pivotaldisplacements of said other roller.

2. With a beaming machine having a winder beam and at least two coactivepinch rollers mounted ahead of said beam for engaging the beamingmaterial between each other to pull it toward said beam, the combinationof a device for regulating the winding tension of the materialcomprising means for controlling the winding speed of said beam, andcomprising said two pinch rollers, one of said rollers having a fixedaxis of rotation, said other roller being located between saidfixed-axis roller and said beam relative to the travel of the beamingmaterial, mounting structure on which said other roller is journalledfor rotation about an axis parallel to said fixed axis, said mountingstructure together with said other roller being pivotally displaceableand having a pivot axis spaced from said fixed axis in parallel relationthereto and closer to said 'beam than said fixed axis so that shorteningand lengthen-ing of the material between said beam and said other rollercauses said other roller to be pivotally displaced and to be forced lessand more respectively against said one roller, and transmission meansbetween said structure and said speed control device for actuating thelatter in accordance with pivotal displacements of said other roller.

3. In a device for regulating the winding tension of beaming materialaccording to claim 1, said mounting structure comprising a memberrotat-ably mounted axially beside said one roller in eccentric relationto said fixed axis, and support means on said member for journallingsaid other roller.

4. In a device for regulating the winding tension of beaming materialaccording to claim 3, said support means having bearing means forjournalling said other roller and being pivotally connected with saideccentric member, and force storer means between said support means andsaid eccentric member for bracing said other roller against saideccentric member.

5. In a device for regulating the winding tension of beaming materialaccording to claim 1, said mounting structure comprising a memberrot-atably mounted axially beside said one roller in eccentric relationto said fixed axis, an arm pivotally joined with said eccentric memberand having bearing means in which said other roller is journalled, anadjustable spring abutment secured to said arm and elasticallyengageable with said eccentric member.

6. A device for regulating the winding tension of beaming materialaccording to claim 4, comprising mass equalizing means for substantiallycompensating the mass of said other roller and support means relative tosaid force storer means.

7. In a device for regulating the winding tension of beaming materialaccording to claim 6, said mass equalizing means comprising a rotatablecam in driven connection with said transmission means to rotatesimultaneously with pivotal displacement of said other roller, acounterpoise, and a suspension member suspending said counterpoise fromsaid cam and extending along the cam contour of said cam.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1962 Chittenden24275.53 9/ 1962 Zernov et al. 24275.53

1. WITH A BEAMING MACHINE HAVING A WINDER BEAM AND AT LEAST TWO COACTIVEPINCH ROLLERS MOUNTED AHEAD OF SAID BEAM FOR ENGAGING THE BEAMINGMATERIAL BETWEEN EACH OTHER TO PULL IT TOWARD SAID BEAM, THE COMBINATIONOF A DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE WINDING TENSION OF THE MATERIALCOMPRISING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE WINDING SPEED OF SAID BEAM, ANDCOMPRISING SAID TWO PINCH ROLLERS, ONE OF SAID ROLLERS HAVING A FIXEDAXIS OF ROTATION, MOUNTING STRUCTURE ON WHICH SAID OTHER ROLLER ISJOURNALLED, SAID MOUNTING STRUCTURE BEING PIVOTALLY ROTATABLE AND HAVINGA PIVOT AXIS SPACED FROM SAID FIXED AXIS IN PARALLEL RELATION THERETO,AND TRANSMISSION MEANS CONNECTING SAID STRUCTURE WITH SAID WINDING-SPEEDCONTROL DEVICE FOR ACTUATING THE LATTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH PIVOTALDISPLACEMENTS OF SAID OTHER ROLLER.